Wainwright, who has finished in the top three of National League Cy Young voting on four different occasions, signed a one-year, $2-million contract in early October to remain with the Cardinals. If he makes 30 starts, the contract becomes valued at $10 million.

"You've got 30 owners who have a sabermetric box that will sign players when they were in that box," Wainwright added, according to Scott Boeck of USA TODAY Sports. "They don't take any intangibles or anything else into play and that's a sad thing.

"You have to realize that this is about winning. If Bryce Harper wants 10 years and he's 26 years old, is anyone saying that he's going to have 10 MVPs? No, but he might have three or four in there ... The same can be said about Manny Machado. These guys are superstar players."

Wainwright is the latest veteran to remark on the tenuous relationship between the players' union and the league. Numerous players, including some of the biggest names in the sport, remain unemployed as full-team workouts begin at spring training facilities.

The current CBA, which was signed prior to the 2017 campaign, is set to expire following the 2021 season.